Tintypes: 5 Steps to Archivally Preserve YOUR Family Photographs

Have you ever wondered about those curious photographs in your family archive that appear to be printed on a thin sheet of metal?

Well, these are tintypes, a popular 19th-century photographic process—actually on a piece of lacquered iron, not tin—used extensively for studio portraiture (see photos above & below), as well as for occasional exterior photographs (see photos at the end of this blog).

“Sixth plate”-sized tintype portraits were most often unmounted (left image).Some smaller & “gem” tintypes (see the center image in the photo on the right) were mounted in small paper mats.

While seemingly “standard” poses were common, tintypes also often captured the “essence” or “personality” of the sitter in unique ways (see photos above) . . .

So, with that short introduction, let’s look at 5 quick steps to archivally preserve your tintypes!

Preserving Tintypes / Step 1: Scanning

Uncut tintype plates measured 6.5 x 8.5-inches and were most often cut up prior to sensitizing with photographic chemicals to yield smaller-sized plates: the common “sixth plate” (on left above) was created from a full plate that had been cut into six smaller sheets / a larger “quarter plate” (on right above) was created from a full plate that had been cut into four smaller sheets, and so on.

Each of these sizes can be readily accommodated in a number of museum-quality archival materials (explained below), but we recommend scanning them first.

This is a scan of a sixth plate family tintype in a paper mat, with coins added to provide a sense of actual size & scale.

Scanning these wonderful family treasures will allow you to print & work with the scan while safely—and archivally!—storing the original.

While small (see photo above), the tintype process often yielded a tremendous amount of detail, which will allow you to enlarge and print scans for your photo album and to share with relatives (see photo below).

Detail (and personality!) is sometimes lost in rather small tintypes. Scanning allows you to enlarge and share these irreplaceable images. Note the hand-applied tinting to the cheeks of these two boys.

If there is information on the back of your tintypes, consider scanning that too (see photos below), as temporarily adjusting contrast & color settings might make otherwise unreadable information much clearer.

The original scan on the left, and this same scan adjusted to reveal clearer identification information.

Preserving Tintypes / Step 2: Safe Archival Storage

(Please click on the image for more information.)

One of the best and most convenient archival enclosures for protecting your one-of-a-kind tintypes is the HD (High Density) Poly Envelope, which is available in sizes that perfectly fit a variety of tintype formats (see photos above & below).

(Please click on either image for more information.)

These inexpensive museum-quality enclosures will help prevent dust, finger oils or moisture from coming into contact with your images during handling & storage. They’re also translucent, which will allow you to quickly & easily find any particular image you’re looking for. Lastly, storing your tintypes in archival enclosures is important as these thin metal plates sometimes have bent corners or edges that can scratch adjacent images if they’re not otherwise separated and protected.

(Please click on the image for more information.)

If storing a number of family or collectible tintypes, you can organize groups of them in Open End Envelopes (see photos above & below).

An entire family’s worth of 19th-century tintypes and other photographs can be organized & stored in ONE convenient place, with identification information written on individual envelopes & index dividers: 1. individual images are placed in HD Poly Envelopes2. groups of images can be organized any way you’d like 3. your groupings of images can then be placed in an individual Open End Envelope4. these envelopes can be placed in an acid-free Metal Edge Box 5. groups of images can be separated with Acid-Free Index Dividers, which can be cut to whatever size you need

(Please click on the image for more information.)

Another way to store your one-of-a-kind tintypes is to place them in Crystal Clear Bags with a sheet of Acid-Free Card Stock added for additional rigidity and support (see photo above). You can also write important identification information on these sheets of card stock with an archivally-safe pencil or marker (more on that below).

(Please click on the image for more information.)

As mentioned, tintypes come in a variety of sizes and formats, and are occasionally found in elaborate 19th-century cases. In the photo above, the large quarter plate tintype is lying on top of an archivally-safe Polyethylene Bag, which fits it perfectly (the pair of glasses and smaller tintypes were added for scale). These bags come in a variety of sizes, and are the ideal solution for protecting cased images.

Preserving Tintypes / Step 3: Creating an Archivally-Safe Album

(Please click on the image for more information.)

You can also integrate your irreplaceable family or collectible tintypes into your photo albums by placing them in Print Pages (see photos above & below). Note that a pre-cut sheet of Acid-Free Card Stock has been added to each Print Page pocket for added stability and support.

(Please click on either image for more information.)

These Print Pages can then be placed in an archivally-safe Collector Grade Binder, which is hand-built (in the USA!) of archival materials you won’t find in any cheap office supply store binders.

Preserving Tintypes / Step 4: Protecting Antique Albums

There were a number of different 19th-century album designs that accommodated tintypes. If you have one of these, consider scanning the images within and then archivally storing the actual album (see photos above & below).

Preserving Tintypes / Step 5: Matting & Framing

A large tintype in an elegant 8-ply acid-free mat (on left) ahead of framing it.(Please click on each image for more information.)

Some tintypes just need to be archivally matted and framed to be enjoyed every day!

If you’re thinking of doing this, consider using an 8-ply mat (see photo above) rather than a “standard” 4-ply mat, as tintypes have a certain depth—especially if they have subtle bends in them—and you don’t want the image surface to come into contact with the frame’s glass or glazing (please click here for information on our mat board sample kit, which includes samples of all of our mat board colors & thicknesses).

In the photo on the left the large quarter plate tintype is being “floated” in the center of the mat in order to show the entire plate. This is easy to do yourself with Double Sided Mounting Tape or Squares.

Preserving Tintypes: An Additional Gallery of Wonderful Images!

Four family members or friends photographed in various poses & configurations during a single sitting. Very cool!

In closing, we hope you’ll contact us here at Archival Methods if you have any additional question on how best to preserve and share your family or collectible tintypes. Our experienced staff has all the answers you’re looking for, and these unique images deserve only the finest in archival care!

Lastly, for more information on tintypes from the Image Permanence Institute’s Graphics Atlas, please click here.

6 Comments

I recently found a tintype photo of my grandmother from about 1905. It is in it’s original paper frame, but it is so dark that it is really difficult to see. Is there a process by which it can be brightened up? I am unaware of any other copy, so I am anxious to see what I can do.

Hello Kathy
Never try and clean a Tintype; the image is sitting on top of the tin plate without any protection. Have a digital copy made or a high-resolution photograph made with a digital camera. You can then have the image enhanced using PhotoShop. Have prints made for display in a frame or albums? Store the original in acid-free envelopes in the dark. You can find a photographic conservator at the American Institute for Conservation (AIC) › https://www.culturalheritage.org/membership/find-a-conservator

I have a tin type photo that is getting very dark. I am concerned that in time i wont be able to see the people in the picture at all. My questions are, can it be cleaned up, brightened or will preserving it as it is now my only choice. If so, what is my best option for preservation?
Thank you,
Rebecca

Hello Rebecca,
We recommend you get advice from a professional conservator before you attempt any treatment of the Tin Type image. You can easily cause more damage to the very sensitive image surface. Make a high resolution scan of the image which can be digitally enhanced to make the people recognizable.